A group of students have begun a journey to return D1 swimming to NIU.

The club NIU Swimming was approved through Huskie Link, NIU’s social media website for clubs, on Wednesday. NIU had a D1 swim team that started in the 1960s, but ended in 2001. Caleb Walker, senior computer science major and NIU Swimming executive board member, said the swim club’s dream is to come back as alumni and see a new D1 competitive swim team.

Walker said he decided to start NIU Swimming after taking a swimming conditioning course.

“When I came here to NIU there was a swim club but it was just dying out,” Walker said. “It had probably about two or three people and the next semester it was gone.”

Walker said he wanted to keep NIU Swimming open to all skill levels because he started swimming late in high school.

“I felt so welcomed by the sport even though I wasn’t very good at it because it’s a race against yourself,” Walker said. “We create different workouts for people at different skill levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced, so that people can kind of feel like they belong.”

Walker said the members hope to participate in two meets this semester.

“We’re already working on trying to find a league that isn’t as competitive as we want to be at some point,” Walker said. “We want to start off nice and easy and encourage the people who may have been lifeguards or people who are athletic and don’t know much about swimming to actually start competing.”

NIU Swimming will be open for recreation and competition, said Karson Kurzeja, junior elementary education major and swim club executive board member.

Kurzeja said the club is hoping to have more fundraising events planned within a couple weeks.

Syed Rizvi, senior computer science major, said NIU Swimming was contacted by the water polo team because some of its members want to swim on the side.

The club currently has between 12 and 20 members, Rizvi said.

“I feel like this provides an opportunity for older swimmers who came to this school expecting a swim club and there wasn’t anything for them,” Rizvi said.

Go to on.fb.me/1UNHsC0 for more information on the club.